Revolution to be unveiled on 9 May 2006

Nintendo will take the wraps off the next-generation console at its press briefing before next year's E3 expo.

During its pre-E3 press conference in May, Nintendo disappointed many by revealing little about the Revolution. Other than showing off a mock-up of the console form factor and announcing the console would play NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube games, the game giant revealed little about the next-generation console. In the months since, it has let a few details about the Revolution trickle out, the most significant being pictures of its much-vaunted controller -- which has been much-derided for its resemblance to a TV remote control.

Last week, though, gamers got a definite date when Nintendo will absolutely, positively reveal the Revolution in all its glory. The Mario factory sent out a "save the date" e-mail this morning saying that in "a mere 165 days to go (give or take)" it will reveal "all the incredible details about Nintendo's upcoming games and hardware, including our next home console, code-named Revolution".

So when will be the Revolution's coming-out party? Unsurprisingly, it will be at next year's E3. Specifically, the console will be unveiled at Nintendo's pre-E3 press event, which is slated for 9:30 a.m. Pacific time on May 9, 2006. The venue will be the Kodak Theatre -- home of the Academy Awards -- in Hollywood, California.

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